Haiti Martial Law

Lt. Gen. Prosper Avril, a former military adviser for the Duvalier dictatorship, declared himself president of Haiti on Sunday after ousting Lt. Gen. Henri Namphy. Namphy, who had himself seized power in the impoverished Caribbean country of 6 million in a coup only last June, went into exile in the neighboring Dominican Republic, where he was granted political asylum.

The Haitian military's puppet president declared a state of emergency Sunday, stating that "our country is faced by extreme danger" and "risks invasion and occupation." Emile Jonassaint, 81, who was installed as president last month, announced the decree in a speech on a television network to a population with few television sets and at a time, 2 a.m., when most of the country was without electricity. He gave no details about what the state of emergency would entail.

The Haitian military's puppet president declared a state of emergency Sunday, stating that "our country is faced by extreme danger" and "risks invasion and occupation." Emile Jonassaint, 81, who was installed as president last month, announced the decree in a speech on a television network to a population with few television sets and at a time, 2 a.m., when most of the country was without electricity. He gave no details about what the state of emergency would entail.

Lt. Gen. Prosper Avril, a former military adviser for the Duvalier dictatorship, declared himself president of Haiti on Sunday after ousting Lt. Gen. Henri Namphy. Namphy, who had himself seized power in the impoverished Caribbean country of 6 million in a coup only last June, went into exile in the neighboring Dominican Republic, where he was granted political asylum.